The Scenic Subway Line

The first weekend in June turned out to be a long one, which is always nice. It was the Korean Memorial Day. My roommate asked me if I wanted to go on a trip to the Gyeongchun Subway Line. I wasn't really sure what it was, to be honest, but I researched it and found out that it covered the city of Chuncheon in Gangwondo Province and was supposed to be really nice.

We started our journey by taking the KTX from Ulsan to Seoul Station, and from there got onto the subway and transferred a few times until we were on the Gyeongchun Line. It wasn't a short trip. It took two and a half hours on the KTX and another two hours on the subway. Finally we made it and got off at Gapyeong station. From here, we were going to head to Nami Island. The only problem with this area is that the transportation around, apart from the subway, is not ideal. There are hardly any taxis around and the city tour bus is small and only comes around once an hour. There were a lot of people waiting around for the bus, so we naturally didn't get onto the first bus that came, while waiting for the next one, we noticed the cycle rickshaws and decided our time was more important and took one of those to the Nami ferry port. I had never been in a rickshaw before so it was fun.

Before heading to Nami Island, the area is famous for a meal called "dalk-galbi" which is chicken and vegetables like carrots, green onions, and cabbage cooked in this sweet yet spicy sauce. I had never had it before, but it was really tasty. Instead of taking the ferry to and from Nami island, we opted to pay a little more (38,000 won) and took the zip-line route to the island. This was so much fun, but a little on the short side. Nonetheless, exciting. Nami island is well known as shooting locations for some Korean dramas and is a nice change from the busy cities. Its really cute for couples. I have heard that the island is really beautiful in the winter with a little snow, and in the fall when the leaves start to change. It was really enjoyable to wander on the island and be with nature.

After returning from Nami, we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. I really like the westernized Chinese food we have back home, but I must say that I really enjoy the way Korea does Chinese food too. Its different but quite delicious. After dinner we made our way back to the subway station to head to our pension for the night. The pensions in Chuncheon were really nice. I mean they're pretty basic, floor sleeping, with sink and an element for cooking, but the owners pick you up from the closest subway station and will drop you off in the morning as well. It makes life really easy, especially if you are arriving in the dark.

Day two started with a beautiful garden called "Jade Garden" You could tell it was really well kept and they had all kinds of flowers and greenery around. It was rather large, and before we knew it, we had spent hours exploring. Our second stop for the day was at "Pettit France". This was a really cool place that had a Parisian feel and was centred around the book, The Little Prince. The whole village was like a big museum with colourful buildings and sculptures and French accents all around. Our pension for the second night was similar to the first, but it had a swimming pool. After two days of travelling and exploring, it was really nice to go for a leisurely swim. We also opted to buy some meat and side dishes, and had our own Korean BBQ outside. As I write this I am constantly reminded of my limited time left here and how much I am going to miss Korean cuisine. I'll have to cook it back home for my friends and family.

Our last day was a shorter one, since we had to be back at Seoul Station for our train back to Ulsan. We had pre-booked the "Rail Bike" and it was my favourite thing we did that weekend. We started at one subway stop and as a large group, rode these carts along the train tracks that were powered by our pedaling. The ride took just short of two hours but you really got to enjoy the scenery and bike through tunnels. There was even a "Party Tunnel" where they flashed disco lights and played PSY music (Gangnam Style and Gentleman). It was a lot of fun.

After the Rail Bike, we went to a small but very nice temple on top of a hill.  We also had lunch there basically on a rock in the middle of a stream. After this, we quickly made our way to the subway station to head back to Seoul. However, we realized that by the time we reached the station, by subway, it would be a couple minutes before 5 (our train would leave at 5) and the probability of us getting to the train on time would be doubtful. However, my roommate thought we could do it, so once we got to the station, we ran like crazy people all through the station and indeed missed the train. We lucked out though and the man at the ticket booth was able to get us on the next train and we only lost a little portion of our money. We ended up being booked on the movie car and got to see the movie Transcendence while riding home. It sure made time go by quickly.

It was an interesting and fun weekend. Yet again, another trip I probably wouldn't have made without my roommate, so I feel really blessed.